Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatta was a revered meditation master and a founding teacher of the Thai Forest Tradition of Vipassana meditation during the transitional period around the mid-Buddhist era. He is widely regarded as the originator of the modern Thai Forest lineage, which continues to play an important role in Thai Buddhism today.
Luang Pu Mun was born on 20 January 1870 (B.E. 2413) in Ban Kham Bong, Khong Chiam District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand. His father was Mr. Khamduang Kaenkaew and his mother was Mrs. Chan Kaenkaew. He was the eldest of nine siblings, although six of them passed away in childhood.
He first entered the monastic life as a novice (samanera) at the age of 15. At 17, he disrobed at his father’s request to help support the family. Later, at the age of 22, with strong faith and determination, he asked his parents for permission to be ordained as a monk.
He was ordained on 12 June 1893 at Wat Sri Thong (now Wat Sri Ubon Rattanaram) in Ubon Ratchathani. His preceptor was Phra Ariyakawi (On Dhammarakkhito). After ordination, he studied and practiced Vipassana meditation under Sao Kantasilo at Wat Liap in Ubon Ratchathani.
Luang Pu Mun was known as a monk who practiced rightly, straightforwardly, and properly in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings. Through diligent practice, he attained profound levels of Dhamma realization. He trained many disciples who later became highly respected meditation masters. It can be said that most of the well-known forest monks in later generations emerged from the foundations established by Luang Pu Mun and Luang Pu Sao.
According to accounts of his spiritual experiences and dreams (nimitta), it was foretold that he would attain mastery in teaching—possessing exceptional skill in expounding the Dhamma and guiding disciples skillfully according to their character and temperament. He was believed to possess higher knowledge, enabling him to understand the minds and dispositions of people and even celestial beings. Through his wisdom and skillful methods, many disciples became exemplary practitioners (supatipanno, ujupatipanno, ñayapatipanno, samicipatipanno).
During his years of good health, he undertook extensive dhutanga (austere wandering practices), traveling through forests and mountains in the Northeast, Central, and Northern regions of Thailand. Many of these areas were remote and difficult to access. Before his final years, he spent 11 years in seclusion in Northern Thailand. In 1940 (B.E. 2483), he returned to the Northeast at the invitation of his disciples.
In 1944, he settled at the forest monastery of Ban Nong Phue in Sakon Nakhon Province, where he intensively trained disciples in both samatha (concentration) and vipassana (insight) meditation. His teachings were regularly recorded by close disciples and later compiled and published under the title Muttodaya.
In 1949 (B.E. 2492), at the age of 80, his health began to decline. Despite devoted care from his disciples, he peacefully passed away on 11 November 1949 at 2:23 a.m. at Wat Pa Suddhavas in Sakon Nakhon Province.
After his cremation, many monks and lay followers gathered to pay their respects. A memorial ordination hall was built at the cremation site, and later a museum was established at Wat Pa Suddhavas to preserve his relics and personal belongings. His remains are said to have transformed into sacred relics (dhatu), regarded as a testament to the timeless truth of the Buddha’s teaching—that Dhamma is akaliko (beyond time). Those who practice rightly, in any era, can attain liberation without limitation of time.
Reference: Reminiscences of Venerable Luang Pu Mun Bhuridatta Thera (Memorial Publication).